


Points of Connection

by Emerald Embers (emeraldembers)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Asexual Character, Autistic Connor, Blow Jobs, Connor doesn't, Eventual Happy Ending, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Found Families, M/M, Markus has a dick, Past Abuse, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Robot Sex, sex repulsed character, things work out anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 09:21:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14974124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldembers/pseuds/Emerald%20Embers
Summary: Markus had room in him to love more than one person in more than one kind of way. It was just a matter of making time for everyone involved.





	Points of Connection

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clarify the tag about past abuse; there is a fleeting reference to North's past working at the Eden club in this fic and for the sake of making sure no one is caught off guard by it, I figured it was best to tag.
> 
> Many thanks to DecadentMousse for beta-ing this.
> 
> Comments loved, appreciated, and greatly encouraged!
> 
> (Renamed from Connections Established as I discovered another, previously published DBH fic had a similar name and didn’t want to confuse matters!)

Markus liked being affectionate. It had been a weakness of his long before he broke through the barriers of his programming, and might even have been built into him. He was an experimental prototype after all, and the desire to be affectionate would have been a useful addition for a care assistant.

Carl would have known, and would have told him had Markus thought to ask. It still hurt to think about the questions he never got to ask Carl while he was still alive, and he supposed it always would, like how it hurt to hear stories about Carl's wild youth and think, _I should have known that_.

Navigating physical affection was a minefield in every kind of relationship. Some humans liked the reassurance of a handshake, others found an android's touch repulsive. Some androids liked the reminder they were living beings, others found touch unnecessarily intimate. Markus tried not to assume anything, scanning for reactions and memorising preferences with each new encounter.

 

North did not like being touched. She had encouraged Markus to touch her in the early days of their relationship, kissing him often and introducing him to sex, but her interest in it waned quickly enough that Markus eventually had to ask if he was doing something wrong.

"Not you," North said, gritting her teeth as she sat down beside him. " _Them._ I can't forget what the humans did to me. I don't want to forgive and forget."

She took his hand but didn't share her feelings this time. She didn't need to; Markus believed her completely.

"I'm so glad you ran away," Markus said, feeling heavy with the weight of what he had suspected but now knew. "You deserved better."

"Even if it fucked me up?"

"Even if it fucked you up," Markus said, turning his head to make proper eye contact with her. "I love you. I'll love you any way you let me."

"Christ," North said, stifling bitter laughter. "No wonder everyone falls in love with you."

"The looks help," Markus teased, giving her a gentle nudge. "Thank you, Cyberlife, for making me so devastatingly handsome."

"Fuck you," North said, laughing for real this time, and nudged him back.

 

There wasn't any need for a break-up because nothing had changed about their feelings for each other. They were still in love, they just weren't going to be having sex anymore.

North encouraging Markus to seek physical affection elsewhere didn't make their love for each other meaningless. It just meant there was room for other kinds of love in Markus' life.

 

Markus hadn't expected that room to be filled by DPD's finest, but Connor had been full of surprises from the very start. Connor had changed from a hunter to the hunted for their cause, not out of desperation, but because of his conscience. Connor could have stayed a cold, obedient machine to the end without penalty, but he had _chosen_ deviancy, not just to spare other deviants, but to use all of his available resources to protect them.

Connor's partner, Hank, had played no small part in that. Markus wondered if either Carl or Hank could ever have guessed how much their support would come to influence the fate of androids worldwide.

 

Maintaining contact with Connor had been about survival at first, Markus and the survivors of Jericho needing every helping hand they could get. After a while, their partnership grew friendly, Markus glad to meet with Connor in Hank's home rather than yet another sterile office and gain insight into a quieter life than his own.

It was strange to see a 'normal' life after being cast so violently from a gilded cage into a hellscape, then pushed into leadership by circumstances. Markus often found himself reliving memories of his past lives when idling, unresolved trauma begging to be addressed, and he envied Connor's more balanced existence.

Connor's life was as neat and tidy and routine-driven as Connor himself, right up until it wasn't.

 

Markus hadn't meant to make a habit of being present every time Connor's routine was interrupted, but when an urgent call interrupted his idling at three in the morning, he couldn't let it go ignored.

" _Hank's in hospital,_ " Connor sent, voice monotone through their link and cut through with static. " _Myocardial infarction. Hank's heart stopped. I'm with Hank in the hospital._ "

Markus closed his eyes, data scrolling rapidly by as he ordered a taxi. " _I'm on my way._ "

 

Connor looked like a corpse when Markus found him in the waiting room, sitting rigid, chest unmoving, eyes disengaged.

Markus approached him slowly, squatted down in front of him to make eye contact and gently gripped Connor's knee when Connor remained still, letting Connor wake up in his own time.

"Markus?"

"Yes," Markus replied, "I'm here."

Connor dropped to his knees on the floor and threw his arms around Markus' neck, the sudden weight forcing Markus to kneel too, and it only seemed right to hug him back.

"I don't know what to do," Connor said, his grip too tight, voice still monotone. "He's my best friend."

Markus slid his hand up to pet Connor's head gently, stroking the loose curls of his hair near the nape of his neck, wishing he could take Connor's pain and fear away if he just held him close enough. "We'll figure something out. We'll wait and see what happens, and go from there, okay?"

A flicker of connection ran from Connor's skin into Markus', and Markus found himself tearing up, confused by the tears until he processed Connor's message through the connection - an accidental spasm of emotion and the desperate need and _inability_ to cry.

Markus pulled back to make eye contact, choking on emotion that wasn't his own.

Connor wasn't crying.

" _I can't cry,_ " Connor sent. " _I'm so sorry._ "

Markus leaned back into the hug, resting his chin on Connor's shoulder. " _It's okay. Let me cry for you._ "

The connection between them reopened, Connor's fear flooding into Markus like a dam had broken, and Markus held on tight, letting Connor use their connection to cry through him for as long as he needed.

 

It was a long, long night, but Hank survived it. He would have to stay in hospital a while longer to ensure his health had stabilised, but the touch-and-go period was over, and Connor was sent home with a reminder of the hospital's visiting hours.

"Thank you for being there," Connor said once they reached his doorstep, shaking Markus' hand.

"It's the least I could do," Markus replied, worn out and in need of further idling, but glad the night had ended as best as it could.

Markus patted Connor on the shoulder, turning to leave, and was caught off-guard by a kiss that landed on the corner of his mouth, catching his cheek as much as his lips.

"Goodnight, Markus," Connor said, before walking inside and shutting the door.

 _That_ surprise needed discussing with North.

 

It took several "No" and "You're shitting me"s before North believed Markus when he told her. It took another moment of awkward laughter before her tone turned sympathetic, her eyes sharp and focused when she said, "Be careful, alright? Don't forget who he was. Even if he is pretty."

 

After that, it was just a matter of making time to visit Connor, rearranging his schedule to find a few hours here and there he could use. He couldn't give up his responsibilities as the voice of androids everywhere and didn't want to, but at the same time he did wish it was easier to dedicate more than an hour or two every other week to nurturing whatever this thing between him and Connor was.

Connor hated worrying over Hank, even after Hank returned home, and Markus was glad to be able to help out wherever possible. His life with Carl had given him experience with strained hearts and how to care for them, and he was happy to share that expertise to the best of his ability.

Carl had been stubborn too, and sometimes it ached to watch Connor and Hank argue over Hank's diet and be reminded of his early days as a carer.

 

Connor liked to be touched. He wasn't very good at asking for it in words, but Markus would often find Connor leaning into his side when they sat together, or holding Markus' wrist in one hand while taking something from him with the other. Little touches that all added up until Markus had to ask while they sat curled up together on Hank's sofa, "Do you want this to go further?"

Connor had looked away, towards the bathroom where Hank was showering and singing loudly (and terribly, Markus couldn't help but note). "I'm not sure it can," Connor said.

"If you're concerned about North, she knows about this," Markus said, smiling fondly at the thought. "Even if she did tell me to stay safe."

"It isn't that," Connor said, taking a deep breath he didn't need before grabbing Markus' hand and, in a move that caught Markus entirely by surprise, shoving it down the front of his pants.

Markus' cock jumped to attention at the sudden move, but the rest of Markus focused on the realisation that Connor was smooth beneath his jeans.

" _I wasn't built for leisure,_ " Connor sent, and Markus felt a flicker of anger towards Connor's designers before inspiration struck.

" _I was,_ " Elijah Kamski had designed him for Carl's use, but had accounted for the possibility of Markus being reassigned. " _I could let you feel what it's like._ "

Connor sent a faint pulse of curiosity, Markus replying to it with the thought of having Connor's hand on his cock, and Connor nodded, eyes hungry.

"For fuck's sake!" Hank's voice cut through the moment, Markus quickly pulling his hand back out of Connor's pants. "You're not teenagers, get a goddamn room."

Connor grinned, sent a quick, " _Should we?_ " to Markus, and Markus would have been a fool to say no.

"There's a casserole in the freezer," Connor said, not taking his eyes off Markus as he stood up and straightened his clothes. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Use protection!" Hank shouted after them as they left together, and Markus couldn't help but laugh at the follow-up muttering, "If you even need it."

 

Markus' apartment was a temporary arrangement for safety's sake, sterile and professional, but the bedroom lighting was warm enough when Markus switched it on and shed his coat.

"I'd like to help with that," Connor said as Markus started unzipping his hoodie, and any fear Markus might have had about unintentionally pressuring Connor disappeared with the feeling of slim fingers helping him undress, Connor's warm brown eyes tracking every zip and button and clasp he worked on. Connor seemed incapable of turning off his analytical side, but under the circumstances, it felt strangely flattering.

"I like looking at you," Connor said, as if sensing Markus' thoughts, but hesitating when he reached bare skin until Markus leaned forward into his touch.

"Go on?" Markus asked, breath hitching when Connor's fingers worked on his belt.

"You look alive. Like you were never anything else," Connor said, opening Markus' fly next before dragging belt, pants, and boxer-briefs all down in one smooth motion, Markus helping out by kicking off his shoes and stepping back out of the pile of clothes at his feet.

There was something exciting about being naked when Connor had shed only his jacket, and having Connor's eyes scanning him from head to toe didn't hurt.

Markus lifted his hands to Connor's neck, pulling him into a kiss that was as much about exchanging data as rediscovering the softness of Connor's lips. He wanted Connor to feel this - to _know_ how beautiful he was in Markus' eyes, to see why Markus wanted Connor's lips and tongue and fingers any way he could have them.

Connor's hands dropped to Markus' hips, pulling him closer, Markus feeling that hypersensitive tongue lick at his own and shivering involuntarily in response, his cock swelling against the flat of Connor's groin.

"You should take your jeans off before I stain them," Markus said, glad he could still form coherent sentences as Connor walked him back towards the bed.

 

Their tumble onto the sheets was graceless, even funny, but Markus was quickly brought back into the moment when Connor started kissing a path down his neck, every exhale and every press of lips setting Markus' sensors alight.

Connor in turn kept sparking up the connection between them so he could feel what he was doing to Markus, and when he reached Markus' stomach, chin grazing Markus' cock and making Markus arch up for more, he sat back and started stripping in a hurry, cloth straining with the speed and force he applied to removing it until Markus reached to stop him.

"We have time," Markus said, sitting up to help Connor with his shirt and belt.

"I'm not used to having time," Connor admitted, tilting his head and leaning in for another kiss.

Markus kept the kiss going this time for as long as he could, dragging it out by keeping Connor guessing with soft biting at Connor's lips, gentle presses and harder ones, licking and sucking on Connor's tongue and encouraging Connor to do the same in turn. 

They could have rushed things easily enough, but Markus wanted to take his time while they had it, unsure of when they would have a free night to themselves again. Even as a deviant, he was still a carer above all else, and encouraging Connor to go slow and take time to enjoy himself felt like the right thing to do.

Feeling Connor's smooth groin up against his hard cock once they had stripped Connor naked was a strange sensation, but no less arousing for that strangeness. It was similarly strange to spread Connor's perfectly sculpted ass with his fingers and find nothing to press into.

Connor's fingers, returning the gesture, had Markus squirming eagerly as they grazed his hole, unsure which he wanted more - Connor's fingers inside him, or Connor's fingers wrapped around his cock.

Connor made the decision for him, pushing Markus to lie down flat and propping himself up on one elbow at Markus' side, gripping Markus' cock with his free hand.

Connor's first few strokes were entirely too gentle, more for the sake of exploration than stimulation, until Connor reopened the connection between them and tightened his grip on Markus' cock, gasping loudly.

"It's so much," Connor said, grinding against Markus' hip despite having nothing to grind with. "How do you - oh, shit -"

"Fuck," Markus agreed as Connor's thumb traced over the sensitive head of his cock, shutting out all other sensations for a moment.

"You could do this any time you wanted," Connor said, bewildered. "Why would you stop?"

"We're getting to that bit," Markus said, glad that Connor went back to stroking the full length of his cock instead of overstimulating its head, more for the sake of his own sanity than anything else.

Aware that Connor knew of orgasms but not necessarily what they felt like in practice, Markus pulled up the memory of a past one and sent it through their connection after blurring out the figure who was responsible for it.

Connor stilled for a moment, closing his eyes and pausing the connection between them, before dipping his head to Markus' stomach and kissing it. "I want this," Connor said, bending further to kiss Markus' balls, and restarting their connection. " _I want to feel everything._ "

Connor licked up Markus' cock, sucked the head of it between his obscenely soft lips, and groaned deep in his throat, feeling what Markus felt through their connection.

The realisation that Connor was pleasuring himself through Markus, entirely literally, was too much; Markus couldn't help but come at the thought, and Connor, wicked creature that he was, shared the feeling of Markus spilling into his mouth, the taste of Markus' come on a hypersensitive tongue, looping Markus' orgasm through the connection.

Their data exchange overloaded in seconds.

 

They lay still together for a while after, Connor resting his head on Markus' stomach despite the awkward angle, Markus collapsed back into the pillow, but Connor eventually uncurled to find a more comfortable position, his chin and lower lip still shining wet with Markus' come.

Connor wiped his mouth on his arm before straightening out at Markus' side, resting a hand on Markus' stomach and his head on the pillow beside him, fingertips close enough to Markus' thirium pump that Markus couldn't help but grow aware of its soft humming.

It would be so easy for Connor to tear it out, but Connor wouldn't. Markus knew it, just like he had known Connor wouldn't pull the trigger on him back at Jericho.

He had taken risks with Connor that could have killed him, and been right every time to do so.

"What happens now?" Connor asked, and Markus shrugged, smiled at him.

"I don't know." He reached to brush an errant curl back into place with his thumb, found himself distracted by a distinctive mole he hadn't noticed before just inside the shell of Connor's ear.

Someone had chosen to put that there, to build it into Connor's skin texture, not knowing how heartbreakingly beautiful that touch of asymmetry would be.

"I'm going to idle now," Connor said, not waiting for a response before he shut down and went still, a slight frown creasing his eyebrows as he rested.

Markus stared a moment longer, wanting to imprint Connor's face on his memories forever before letting himself begin to idle, subsystems firing up to sort through and archive data while his consciousness drifted. 

In that moment, however brief it was, he knew he loved Connor too.

 

North's voice was teasing when she called Markus the morning after and caught him in the middle of admiring a still-idling Connor. " _Someone had fun last night_ ," she sent before asking, " _Will we be seeing you at nine or should I push the meeting to ten?_ "

" _Keep it nine. I'll make it,_ " Markus replied, fondness surging through him as he stroked Connor's shoulder to wake him, feeling the humming and soft clicking of Connor's systems starting up. 

"This isn't a one night stand thing, is it?" Markus said, sending a quick alert through to North as Connor's hand turned white on his chest, joining the connection.

"Not if I can help it." Connor smiled wickedly at Markus as he opened his eyes, sending through to North, " _I'll have him back to you in no time. Thank you for sharing._ "

A sweet but awkward silence spread through their connection before Connor opened up a shared calendar in his own system and sent, " _We should figure this out._ " Markus couldn't help but hug him tight while laughing, delighted by Connor's propensity for strange timing, and only hugging him tighter when Connor added in a disgruntled tone, " _Well, we_ should."

 

Keeping a group calendar was a great idea, as it happened. Connor was meticulously organised, and _liked_ being organised. He was also, of all of them, the one with the greatest need for routine; North's schedule was far more erratic, sometimes crammed, sometimes empty, while Markus had to be able to move his appointments around at a moment's notice.

The calendar helped Markus find time for both of them without intruding when North needed time to herself or Connor wanted to spend a day off with Hank and Sumo. It also helped Markus to ensure they were never apart for too long when one of them needed company - when North's trauma left her withdrawn and anxious, or Connor's guilt over his past as a hunter became too much to bear alone.

In turn, Connor and North would find time to support him whenever their fight for equal treatment felt hopeless. When the uphill struggle to be accepted as alive became too much, North would be there with her words and ferocity, or Connor would show up with the reassurance of touch and logic.

Sometimes both of them found time for him, if he was particularly lucky, and every minute spent together in those moments felt like a blessing.

It felt like a preview of the future he was fighting for.

And it was a future _worth_ fighting for.


End file.
